Tag Archives: NAFSA

President Barack Obama announced his plans to follow through with an immigration overhaul, including expanding and extending the federal Optional Practical Training programme, which allows international students to work in the US while studying.

International students and their dependents contributed $26.8 billion to the US economy and around 340,000 jobs were created or supported by the international education industry in the last academic year, according to an analysis by NAFSA, a leading industry body.

Last week NAFSA, Association of International Educators held the world's largest annual international education conference in San Diego. The organisation threw its weight behind immigration reform once more as the number of delegates broke the 10,000 mark for the first time.

International students and educational institutions in the US have very different perceptions of retention factors, NAFSA research reveals. The study compares the reasons given by institutions and international students to explain why international students quit degrees before completion.

International educators urged representatives on Capitol Hill last week to push for immigration reform as part of NAFSA's annual Advocacy Day. Meanwhile, House Democrats are launching a petition to force the hand of House Republicans who have put off mooting immigration bill HR 15.

Seven US universities and colleges have been recognised for excellence in international education by NAFSA in this year's Senator Paul Simon Awards for Campus Internationalisation, named after the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois.

President Barack Obama reiterated his intention to fix the US's "broken immigration system" in his State of the Union address to Congress yesterday. NAFSA have welcomed the address, which they say "once again acknowledges that immigration reform remains a top priority for the nation".